Electronic device and method for providing location data

ABSTRACT

An electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a user interface, a location sensor configured to sense a location of the electronic device, a processor electrically connected with the user interface and the location sensor, and a memory electrically connected with the processor and configured to store a first application program and a second application program. The memory is further configured to store instructions that, when executed, enable the processor to receive first location data with a first degree of accuracy regarding the location of the electronic device from the location sensor, process at least part of the first location data to generate second location data with a second degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracy regarding the location of the electronic device, provide the at least part of the first location data to execute the first application program, and provide at least part of the second location data to execute the second application program.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation application of prior application Ser.No. 15/811,017, filed on Nov. 13, 2017, which application claims thebenefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of a Korean patent application filed onDec. 12, 2016 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assignedSerial number 10-2016-0168566, the entire disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices and methods forproviding location data.

BACKGROUND

Smartphone or other mobile devices are able to provide high portabilityand new diversified services using their various functions, such asnetworking or sensing. Recently, various services are available throughsensors equipped in the smartphone.

A smartphone may gather location information through location sensors,such as a global positioning system (GPS) module, Wi-Fi module, cellularmodule, acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor. When a location-basedservice (LBS) application runs on a smartphone, the smartphone may offervarious LBSs through the running application using location informationgathered.

The above information is presented as background information only toassist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determinationhas been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the abovemight be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

To more precisely provide a user with a service using a location-basedservice (LBS) application, the user's exact location data may becollected under his/her consent. In this case, the user, albeit able toobtain an exact service result, may be subjected to an invasion ofprivacy or leakage of personal information, which may then be used formalicious purposes.

Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least theabove-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at leastthe advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the presentdisclosure is to a method and apparatus for providing an electronicdevice and a method for alleviating the user's invasion of privacy orleakage of personal information regarding location information byadjusting the standards for providing the user's location information.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anelectronic device and method for providing location data is provided.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anelectronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a userinterface, a location sensor configured to sense a location of theelectronic device, a processor electrically connected with the userinterface and the location sensor, and a memory electrically connectedwith the processor and configured to store a first application programand a second application program. The memory is further configured tostore instructions that, when executed, enable the processor to receivefirst location data with a first degree of accuracy regarding thelocation of the electronic device from the location sensor, process atleast part of the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracyregarding the location of the electronic device, provide the at leastpart of the first location data to execute the first applicationprogram, and provide at least part of the second location data toexecute the second application program.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anelectronic device is provided. The electronic device includes a userinterface, a location sensor configured to sense a location of theelectronic device, a processor electrically connected with the userinterface and the location sensor, and a memory electrically connectedwith the processor. The memory is configured to store instructions that,when executed, enable the processor to receive first location dataregarding the location of the electronic device from the locationsensor, obtain second location data corresponding to the first locationdata according to a designated condition, and provide at least part ofthe second location data to a first application that is executed on theelectronic device.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anon-transitory recording medium storing commands to execute a method forcontrolling an electronic device, the commands being configured to beexecuted by at least one processor to enable the at least one processorto perform at least one operation, is provided. The at least oneoperation includes receiving first location data with a first degree ofaccuracy regarding a location of the electronic device from a locationsensor, processing at least part of the first location data to generatesecond location data with a second degree of accuracy lower than thefirst degree of accuracy regarding the location of the electronicdevice, providing the at least part of the first location data toexecute a first application program, and providing at least part of thesecond location data to execute a second application program.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, anon-transitory recording medium storing commands to execute a method forcontrolling an electronic device, the commands being configured to beexecuted by at least one processor to enable the at least one processorto perform at least one operation, is provided. The at least oneoperation includes receiving first location data regarding a location ofthe electronic device from a location sensor, obtaining second locationdata corresponding to the first location data according to a designatedcondition, and providing at least part of the second location data to afirst application that is executed on the electronic device.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a methodfor operating an electronic device is provided. The method includesreceiving first location data with a first degree of accuracy regardinga location of the electronic device from a location sensor, processingat least part of the first location data to generate second locationdata with a second degree of accuracy lower than the first degree ofaccuracy regarding the location of the electronic device, providing theat least part of the first location data to execute a first applicationprogram, and providing at least part of the second location data toexecute a second application program.

Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings,discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certainembodiments of the present disclosure will be more apparent from thefollowing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment including an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according toan embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a program module according to anembodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a configuration of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a configuration of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating configurations of memoriesaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts illustrating methods for providinglocation data in an electronic device according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing location datain an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing location datain an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F are views illustrating examplesof user interfaces for setting accuracy determination data in anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 16A and 16B are views illustrating examples of user interfaces forproviding a location-based service based on first location data and alocation-based service based on second location data according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are views illustrating an example of providing alocation-based service in an electronic device according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood torefer to like parts, components, and structures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings isprovided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of variousembodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and theirequivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in thatunderstanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary.Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize thatvarious changes and modifications of the various embodiments describedherein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of thepresent disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functionsand constructions may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

The terms and words used in the following description and claims are notlimited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by theinventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the presentdisclosure. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in theart that the following description of various embodiments of the presentdisclosure is provided for illustration purpose only and not for thepurpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims and their equivalents.

It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the”include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes referenceto one or more of such surfaces.

As used herein, the terms “A or B,” “at least one of A and/or B,” or“A/B” may include all possible combinations of A and B. As used herein,the terms “first” and “second” may modify various components regardlessof importance and/or order and are used to distinguish a component fromanother without limiting the components. It will be understood that whenan element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being (operativelyor communicatively) “coupled with/to,” or “connected with/to” anotherelement (e.g., a second element), it can be coupled or connected with/tothe other element directly or via a third element.

As used herein, the terms “configured to” may be interchangeably usedwith other terms, such as “suitable for,” “capable of,” “modified to,”“made to,” “adapted to,” “able to,” or “designed to” in hardware orsoftware in the context. Rather, the term “configured to” may mean thata device can perform an operation together with another device or parts.For example, the term “processor configured (or set) to perform A, B,and C” may mean a generic-purpose processor (e.g., a central processingunit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) that may perform theoperations by executing one or more software programs stored in a memorydevice or a dedicated processor (e.g., an embedded processor) forperforming the operations.

For example, examples of the electronic device according to variousembodiments of the present disclosure may include at least one of asmartphone, a tablet personal computer (PC), a mobile phone, a videophone, an e-book reader, a desktop PC, a laptop computer, a netbookcomputer, a workstation, a server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), aportable multimedia player (PMP), a Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG-1or MPEG-2) audio layer-3 (MP3) player, a medical device, a camera, or awearable device. The wearable device may include at least one of anaccessory-type device (e.g., a watch, a ring, a bracelet, an anklet, anecklace, glasses, contact lenses, or a head-mounted device (I-MD)), afabric- or clothes-integrated device (e.g., electronic clothes), a bodyattaching-type device (e.g., a skin pad or tattoo), or a bodyimplantable device. In some embodiments, examples of the smart homeappliance may include at least one of a television, a digital video disc(DVD) player, an audio player, a refrigerator, an air conditioner, acleaner, an oven, a microwave oven, a washer, a drier, an air cleaner, aset-top box, a home automation control panel, a security control panel,a TV box (e.g., Samsung HomeSync™, Apple TV™, or Google TV™), a gamingconsole (Xbox™, PlayStation™), an electronic dictionary, an electronickey, a camcorder, or an electronic picture frame.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice may include at least one of various medical devices (e.g.,diverse portable medical measuring devices (a blood sugar measuringdevice, a heartbeat measuring device, or a body temperature measuringdevice), a magnetic resource angiography (MRA) device, a magneticresource imaging (MRI) device, a computed tomography (CT) device, animaging device, or an ultrasonic device), a navigation device, a globalnavigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, an event data recorder(EDR), a flight data recorder (FDR), an automotive infotainment device,a sailing electronic device (e.g., a sailing navigation device or a gyrocompass), avionics, security devices, vehicular head units, industrialor home robots, drones, automatic teller's machines (ATMs), point ofsales (POS) devices, or internet of things (IoT) devices (e.g., a bulb,various sensors, a sprinkler, a fire alarm, a thermostat, a streetlight, a toaster, fitness equipment, a hot water tank, a heater, or aboiler). According to various embodiments of the disclosure, examples ofthe electronic device may at least one of part of a piece of furniture,building/structure or vehicle, an electronic board, an electronicsignature receiving device, a projector, or various measurement devices(e.g., devices for measuring water, electricity, gas, or electromagneticwaves). According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, theelectronic device may be flexible or may be a combination of theabove-enumerated electronic devices. According to an embodiment of thedisclosure, the electronic devices are not limited to those describedabove. As used herein, the term “user” may denote a human or anotherdevice (e.g., an artificial intelligent electronic device) using theelectronic device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment including an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, an electronic device 101 is included in a networkenvironment 100. The electronic device 101 may include a bus 110, aprocessor 120, a memory 130, an input/output interface 150, a display160, and a communication interface 170. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 101 may exclude at least one of the above componentsor may add another component.

The bus 110 may include a circuit for connecting the processor 120, thememory 130, the input/output interface 150, the display 160, and thecommunication interface 170 with one another and transferringcommunications (e.g., control messages or data) between the same.

The processor 120 may include one or more of a CPU, an AP, or acommunication processor (CP). The processor 120 may perform control onat least one of the other components of the electronic device 101,and/or perform an operation or data processing relating tocommunication.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 120may provide first location data with a first degree of accuracyregarding the location of the electronic device 101, process at leastpart of the first location data to generate second location data with asecond degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracy, andprovide at least part of the first location data to a first applicationand at least part of the second location data to a second application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationdata with the first degree of accuracy may include information about afirst area, and the second location with the second degree of accuracymay include information about a second area larger than the first area.The first area may be included in the second area or may be locatedaround the second area.

For example, the first location data with the first degree of accuracyis address information, e.g., “315 Linden St., San Francisco, Calif.94102,” the second location data with the second degree of accuracy maybe address information, e.g., “San Francisco, Calif. 94102,” whichcorresponds to a larger area than “315 Linden St.”

The memory 130 may include a volatile and/or non-volatile memory. Forexample, the memory 130 may store commands or data related to at leastone other component of the electronic device 101.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 130 maystore software and/or a program 140. The program 140 may include, e.g.,a kernel 141, middleware 143, an application programming interface (API)145, an application program (or “application”) 147, and/or a memory 149.At least a portion of the kernel 141, middleware 143, or API 145 may bedenoted as an operating system (OS).

For example, the kernel 141 may control or manage system resources(e.g., the bus 110, the processor 120, or the memory 130) used toperform operations or functions implemented in other programs (e.g., themiddleware 143, API 145, or application 147). The kernel 141 may providean interface that allows the middleware 143, the API 145, or theapplication 147 to access the individual components of the electronicdevice 101 to control or manage the system resources.

The middleware 143 may function as a relay to allow the API 145 or theapplication 147 to communicate data with the kernel 141, for example.Further, the middleware 143 may process one or more task requestsreceived from the application 147 in an order of a priority. Forexample, the middleware 143 may assign a priority of using systemresources (e.g., bus 110, processor 120, or memory 130) of theelectronic device 101 to at least one of the application 147 and processone or more task requests. The API 145 is an interface allowing theapplication 147 to control functions provided from the kernel 141 or themiddleware 143. For example, the API 133 may include at least oneinterface or function (e.g., a command) for filing control, windowcontrol, image processing or text control. For example, the input/outputinterface 150 may transfer commands or data input from the user or otherexternal device to other component(s) of the electronic device 101 ormay output commands or data received from other component(s) of theelectronic device 101 to the user or other external devices.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 149 maygather location information of the electronic device 101, process thegathered location information into location data corresponding to aparticular degree of accuracy, and provide the location data. Forexample, the location provision module 149 may gather locationinformation, process the gathered location information into locationdata corresponding to a particular degree of accuracy, and provide thelocation data to at least one application.

The display 160 may include, e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), alight emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, amicro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) display, or an electronic paperdisplay. The display 160 may display various contents (e.g., text,images, videos, icons, or symbols) to the user. The display 160 mayinclude a touchscreen and may receive, e.g., a touch, gesture,proximity, drag, swipe, or hovering input using an electronic pen or abody part of the user.

For example, the communication interface 170 may set up communicationbetween the electronic device 101 and an external device (e.g., a firstexternal electronic device 102, a second external electronic device 104,or a server 106). For example, the communication interface 170 may beconnected with a network 162 through wireless communication or wiredcommunication and may communicate with an external device (e.g., thesecond external electronic device 104 or server 106).

The wireless communication may include cellular communication which usesat least one of, e.g., long term evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-A),code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA), universalmobile telecommunication system (UMTS), wireless broadband (WiBro), orglobal system for mobile communication (GSM). According to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the wireless communication, as shown in anelement 164 of FIG. 1, may include at least one of, e.g., Wi-Fi, LiFi,bluetooth (BT), BT low power (BLE), zigbee, near field communication(NFC), magnetic secure transmission (MST), radio frequency, or body areanetwork (BAN). According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, thewireless communication may include global navigation satellite system(GNSS). The GNSS may be, e.g., global positioning system (GPS), globalnavigation satellite system (Glonass), Beidou navigation satellitesystem (hereinafter, “Beidou”) or Galileo, or the European globalsatellite-based navigation system. Hereinafter, the terms “GPS” and the“GNSS” may be interchangeably used herein. The wired connection mayinclude at least one of, e.g., universal serial bus (USB), highdefinition multimedia interface (HDMI), recommended standard (RS)-232,power line communication (PLC), or plain old telephone service (POTS).The network 162 may include at least one of telecommunication networks,e.g., a computer network (e.g., local area network (LAN) or wide areanetwork (WAN)), Internet, or a telephone network.

The first and second external electronic devices 102 and 104 each may bea device of the same or a different type from the electronic device 101.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, all or some ofoperations executed on the electronic device 101 may be executed onanother or multiple other electronic devices (e.g., the first and secondexternal electronic devices 102 and 104 or server 106).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when theelectronic device 101 should perform some function or serviceautomatically or at a request, the electronic device 101, instead ofexecuting the function or service on its own or additionally, mayrequest another device (e.g., the first and second external electronicdevices 102 and 104 or server 106) to perform at least some functionsassociated therewith. The other electronic device (e.g., the first andsecond external electronic devices 102 and 104 or server 106) mayexecute the requested functions or additional functions and transfer aresult of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronicdevice 101 may provide a requested function or service by processing thereceived result as it is or additionally. To that end, a cloudcomputing, distributed computing, or client-server computing techniquemay be used, for example.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic device 201 may include the whole orpart of the configuration of, e.g., the electronic device 101 shown inFIG. 2. The electronic device 201 may include one or more processors(e.g., APs) 210, a communication module 220, a subscriber identificationmodule (SIM) 224, a memory 230, a sensor module 240, an input device250, a display 260, an interface 270, an audio module 280, a cameramodule 291, a power management module 295, a battery 296, an indicator297, and a motor 298. The processor 210 may control multiple hardwareand software components connected to the processor 210 by running, e.g.,an OS or application programs, and the processor 210 may process andcompute various data. The processor 210 may be implemented in, e.g., asystem on chip (SoC).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 210may further include a graphic processing unit (GPU) and/or an imagesignal processor (ISP). The processor 210 may include at least some(e.g., cellular module 221) of the components shown in FIG. 2. Theprocessor 210 may load a command or data received from at least one ofother components (e.g., a non-volatile memory) on a volatile memory,process the command or data, and store resultant data in thenon-volatile memory.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 210may obtain first location data with a first degree of accuracy regardingthe location of the electronic device 200 and process the generatedfirst location data to generate second location data with a seconddegree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy. Theprocessor 210 may provide at least part of the first location data to afirst application and at least part of the second location data to asecond application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 210may obtain the first location data regarding the location of theelectronic device 200, obtain the second location data corresponding tothe first location data according to a designated condition, and provideat least part of the second location data to the first application thatruns on the electronic device 200. For example, the designated conditionmay include information set about whether to provide the firstapplication with the first location data or the second location dataaccording to a user input.

The communication module 220 may have the same or similar configurationas the communication interface 170. The communication module 220 mayinclude, e.g., a cellular module 221, a Wi-Fi module 223, a bluetooth(BT) module 225, a GNSS module 227, an NFC module 228, and an RF module229. The cellular module 221 may provide voice call, video call, text,or Internet services through, e.g., a communication network. Thecellular module 221 may perform identification or authentication on theelectronic device 201 in the communication network using the SIM 224(e.g., the SIM card). According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the cellular module 221 may perform at least some of thefunctions providable by the processor 210. According to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure, the cellular module 221 may include a CP.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, at least some(e.g., two or more) of the cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223,the BT module 225, the GNSS module 227, or the NFC module 228 may beincluded in a single integrated circuit (IC) or an IC package. The RFmodule 229 may communicate data, e.g., communication signals (e.g., RFsignals). The RF module 229 may include, e.g., a transceiver, a poweramp module (PAM), a frequency filter, a low noise amplifier (LNA), or atleast one antenna. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure,at least one of the cellular module 221, the Wi-Fi module 223, the BTmodule 225, the GNSS module 227, or the NFC module 228 may communicateRF signals through a separate RF module. The SIM 224 may include, e.g.,a card including a subscriber identification module, or an embedded SIM,and may contain unique identification information (e.g., an IC cardidentifier (ICCID) or subscriber information (e.g., an internationalmobile subscriber identity (IMSI)).

The memory 230 (e.g., the memory 130) may include, e.g., an internalmemory 232 or an external memory 234. The internal memory 232 mayinclude at least one of, e.g., a volatile memory (e.g., a dynamic randomaccess memory (DRAM), a static RAM (SRAM), a synchronous dynamic RAM(SDRAM), etc.) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., a one-time programmableread only memory (OTPROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable andprogrammable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable and programmable ROM(EEPROM), a mask ROM, a flash ROM), a flash memory (e.g., a NAND flash,or a NOR flash), a hard drive, or solid state drive (SSD). The externalmemory 234 may include a flash drive, e.g., a compact flash (CF) memory,a secure digital (SD) memory, a micro-SD memory, a min-SD memory, anextreme digital (xD) memory, a multi-media card (MMC), or a memoryStick™. The external memory 234 may be functionally or physicallyconnected with the electronic device 201 via various interfaces.

For example, the sensor module 240 may measure a physical quantity ordetect an operational state of the electronic device 201, and the sensormodule 240 may convert the measured or detected information into anelectrical signal. The sensor module 240 may include at least one of,e.g., a gesture sensor 240A, a gyro sensor 240B, an air (atmospheric)pressure sensor 240C, a magnetic sensor 240D, an acceleration sensor240E, a grip sensor 240F, a proximity sensor 240G, a color sensor 240H(e.g., a red-green-blue (RGB) sensor), a biometric sensor 240I, atemperature/humidity sensor 240J, an illumination sensor 240K, or anultra violet (UV) sensor 240M. Additionally or alternatively, the sensormodule 240 may include, e.g., an e-nose sensor, an electromyography(EMG) sensor, an electroencephalogram (EEG) sensor, an electrocardiogram(ECG) sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, an iris sensor, or a finger printsensor. The sensor module 240 may further include a control circuit forcontrolling at least one or more of the sensors included in the sensingmodule. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 201 may further include a processor configured tocontrol the sensor module 240 as part of the processor 210 or separatelyfrom the processor 210, and the electronic device 201 may control thesensor module 240 while the processor 210 is in a sleep mode.

The input unit 250 may include, e.g., a touch panel 252, a (digital) pensensor 254, a key 256, or an ultrasonic input device 258. The touchpanel 252 may use at least one of capacitive, resistive, infrared, orultrasonic methods. The touch panel 252 may further include a controlcircuit. The touch panel 252 may further include a tactile layer and mayprovide a user with a tactile reaction. The (digital) pen sensor 254 mayinclude, e.g., a part of a touch panel or a separate sheet forrecognition. The key 256 may include e.g., a physical button, opticalkey or key pad. The ultrasonic input device 258 may sense an ultrasonicwave generated from an input tool through a microphone (e.g., microphone288) to identify data corresponding to the sensed ultrasonic wave.

The display 260 (e.g., the display 160) may include a panel 262, ahologram device 264, a projector 266, and/or a control circuit forcontrolling the same. The panel 262 may be implemented to be flexible,transparent, or wearable. The panel 262, together with the touch panel252, may be configured in one or more modules. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the panel 262 may include apressure sensor (or pose sensor) that may measure the strength of apressure by the user's touch. The pressure sensor may be implemented ina single body with the touch panel 252 or may be implemented in one ormore sensors separate from the touch panel 252. The hologram device 264may make three dimensional (3D) images (holograms) in the air by usinglight interference. The projector 266 may display an image by projectinglight onto a screen. The screen may be, for example, located inside oroutside of the electronic device 201. The interface 270 may includee.g., an HDMI 272, a USB 274, an optical interface 276, or aD-subminiature (D-sub) 278. The interface 270 may be included in e.g.,the communication interface 170 shown in FIG. 1. Additionally oralternatively, the interface 270 may include a mobile high-definitionlink (MHL) interface, an SD card/MMC interface, or an IR dataassociation (IrDA) standard interface.

The audio module 280 may convert, e.g., a sound signal, into anelectrical signal and vice versa. At least a part of the audio module280 may be included in, e.g., the input/output interface 150 as shown inFIG. 1. The audio module 280 may process sound information input oroutput through, e.g., a speaker 282, a receiver 284, an earphone 286, ora microphone 288.

For example, the camera module 291 may be a device for capturing stillimages and videos, and may include, according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, one or more image sensors (e.g., front and backsensors), a lens, an ISP, or a flash such as an LED or xenon lamp.

The power manager module 295 may manage power of the electronic device201, for example. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure,the power manager module 295 may include a power management IC (PMIC), acharger IC, or a battery or fuel gauge. The PMIC may have a wired and/orwireless recharging scheme. The wireless charging scheme may include,e.g., a magnetic resonance scheme, a magnetic induction scheme, or anelectromagnetic wave based scheme, and an additional circuit, such as acoil loop, a resonance circuit, a rectifier, or the like may be addedfor wireless charging. The battery gauge may measure an amount ofremaining power of the battery 296, a voltage, a current, or atemperature while the battery 296 is being charged. The battery 296 mayinclude, e.g., a rechargeable battery or a solar battery.

The indicator 297 may indicate a particular state of the electronicdevice 201 or a part (e.g., the processor 210) of the electronic device,including, e.g., a booting state, a message state, or recharging state.The motor 298 may convert an electric signal to a mechanical vibrationand may generate a vibrational or haptic effect. The electronic device201 may include a mobile television (TV) supporting device (e.g., a GPU)that may process media data as per, e.g., digital multimediabroadcasting (DMB), digital video broadcasting (DVB), or mediaFlo™standards. Each of the aforementioned components of the electronicdevice may include one or more parts, and a name of the part may varywith a type of the electronic device. According to various embodiments,the electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 201) may exclude someelements or include more elements, or some of the elements may becombined into a single entity that may perform the same function as theelements before being combined.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a program module according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, a program module 310 (e.g., the program 140) may include anOS controlling resources related to the electronic device (e.g., theelectronic device 101) and/or various applications (e.g., theapplication 147) driven on the OS. The OS may include, e.g., Android™,iOS™, Windows™, Symbian™, Tizen™, or Bada™. The program module 310 mayinclude a kernel 320 (e.g., the kernel 141), middleware 330 (e.g., themiddleware 143), an API 360 (e.g., the API 145), an application 370(e.g., the application 147), and/or a location provision module 380. Atleast a part of the program module 310 may be preloaded on theelectronic device or may be downloaded from an external electronicdevice (e.g., the first and second external electronic devices 102 and104 or server 106).

The kernel 320 may include, e.g., a system resource manager 321 or adevice driver 323. The system resource manager 321 may perform control,allocation, or recovery of system resources. According to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the system resource manager 321 may include aprocess managing unit, a memory managing unit, or a file system managingunit. The device driver 323 may include, e.g., a display driver, acamera driver, a BT driver, a shared memory driver, a USB driver, akeypad driver, a Wi-Fi driver, an audio driver, or an inter-processcommunication (IPC) driver. The middleware 330 may provide variousfunctions to the application 370 through the API 360 so that theapplication 370 may use limited system resources in the electronicdevice or provide functions jointly required by application 370.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the middleware 330may include at least one of a runtime library 335, an applicationmanager 341, a window manager 342, a multimedia manager 343, a resourcemanager 344, a power manager 345, a database manager 346, a packagemanager 347, a connectivity manager 348, a notification manager 349, alocation manager 350, a graphic manager 351, or a security manager 352.

The runtime library 335 may include a library module used by a compilerin order to add a new function through a programming language while,e.g., the application 370 is being executed. The runtime library 335 mayperform input/output management, memory management, or arithmeticfunction processing. The application manager 341 may manage the lifecycle of, e.g., the application 370. The window manager 342 may manageGUI resources used on the screen. The multimedia manager 343 may graspformats necessary to play media files and use a codec appropriate for aformat to perform encoding or decoding on media files. The resourcemanager 344 may manage the source code or memory space of theapplication 370. The power manager 345 may manage, e.g., the batterycapability or power and provide power information necessary for theoperation of the electronic device. According to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the power manager 345 may interwork with a basicinput/output system (BIOS). The database manager 346 may generate,search, or vary a database to be used in the application 370. Thepackage manager 347 may manage an installation or an update of anapplication that is distributed in the form of a package file.

The connectivity manager 348 may manage, e.g., wireless connectivity.The notification manager 349 may provide an event, e.g., arrivalmessage, appointment, or proximity alert, to the user. The locationmanager 350 may manage, e.g., locational information on the electronicdevice. The graphic manager 351 may manage, e.g., graphic effects to beoffered to the user and their related user interface. The securitymanager 352 may provide system security or user authentication, forexample. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, themiddleware 330 may include a telephony manager for managing the voice orvideo call function of the electronic device or a middleware module ableto form a combination of the functions of the above-described elements.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the middleware 330may provide a module specified according to the type of the OS. Themiddleware 330 may dynamically omit some existing components or add newcomponents. The API 360 may be a set of, e.g., API programmingfunctions, and may have different configurations depending on the OS.For example, in the case of Android™ or iOS™ one API set may be providedper platform, and in the case of Tizen™ two or more API sets may beoffered per platform.

The application 370 may include an application that may provide, e.g., ahome 371, a dialer 372, a short message service (SMS)/multimediamessaging service (MIMS) 373, an instant message (IM) 374, a browser375, a camera 376, an alarm 377, a contact 378, a voice dial 379, ane-mail 380, a calendar 381, a media player 382, an album 383, or a clock384, a health-care (e.g., measuring the degree of workout or bloodsugar), or provision of environmental information (e.g., provision ofair pressure, moisture, or temperature information). According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, the application 370 may include aninformation exchanging application supporting information exchangebetween the electronic device and an external electronic device.Examples of the information exchange application may include, but is notlimited to, a notification relay application for transferring specificinformation to the external electronic device, or a device managementapplication for managing the external electronic device. For example,the notification relay application may transfer notification informationgenerated by another application of the electronic device to theexternal electronic device or receive notification information from theexternal electronic device and provide the received notificationinformation to the user. For example, the device management applicationmay install, delete, or update a function (e.g., turn-on/turn-off theexternal electronic device (or some elements) or adjusting thebrightness (or resolution) of the display) of the external electronicdevice communicating with the electronic device or an applicationoperating on the external electronic device. According to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the application 370 may include anapplication (e.g., a health-care application of a mobile medical device)designated according to an attribute of the external electronic device.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the application370 may include an application received from the external electronicdevice.

At least a portion of the program module 310 may be implemented (e.g.,executed) in software, firmware, hardware (e.g., the processor 210), ora combination of at least two or more thereof and may include a module,program, routine, command set, or process for performing one or morefunctions.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a configuration of an electronic deviceaccording to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 4, an electronic device 400 may include a processor410, a location sensor 420, a user interface 430, and a memory 440.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 440 mayinclude a location provision module 450. According to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure, the location provision module 450 may includeinstructions (e.g., a platform or framework) executed by the processor410 and may gather, process, and provide location information.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may obtain first location data regarding the location of the electronicdevice 400 sensed through the location sensor 420. For example, theprocessor 410 may store, in the memory 440, the first location dataincluding GPS information, Wi-Fi information, BT information, cellularinformation, acceleration information, or direction information of theelectronic device 400 which is obtained through the location sensor 420.The first location data may be raw data having a first degree ofaccuracy regarding the location of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may execute the location provision module 450 to process at least partof the first location data, generating second location data having asecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy. For example, the second location data may include onlyinformation (e.g., area information) covering a full address for thelocation of the electronic device 400. According to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure, the second location data may include an addresscorresponding to an area that is broader than the location of theelectronic device 400.

The processor 410 may provide at least part of the first location datato a first application program and at least part of the second locationdata to a second application program through the location provisionmodule 450.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may provide a location-based service using the first location data orthe second location data according to various standards for determiningthe degree of accuracy. For example, the standards for determining thedegree of accuracy may include at least one of accuracy determinationdata including various data about the electronic device 400 and userconfiguration data set by a user input. The processor 410 may receive auser input (e.g., a touch input) through the user interface 430.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may provide a location-based service using the first location data orthe second location data based on the accuracy determination data. Forexample, the accuracy determination data may include at least one oflocation data, schedule data, time data, context data, and applicationuse data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may analyze the gathered first location data (or information) anddetermine whether the analyzed first location data corresponds to afirst location (or a first area) or a second location (or a secondarea).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationmay be a location where the first location data may be provided, and thesecond location may be a location where the second location data may beprovided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationmay be a location where details of the user's location data may bepublished (or the details are set to be published), and the secondlocation may be a location where the details of the user's location dataare not desired to be published (or the details are set not to bepublished).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationmay include, e.g., a location corresponding to a personal schedule setby the user, the location of a place set to a home by the user, or thelocation of a place where the user is determined to relax, and thesecond location may include, e.g., a location corresponding to a companyschedule set by the user, the location of a place set to a company bythe user, or the location of a place where the user is determined to beon duty.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationor the second location is not limited to the above-described locations.Depending on the user's settings, the processor 410 may determine thatthe location of the place set to the home by the user is the secondlocation or that the location of the place set to the company by theuser is the first location.

When the analyzed first location data is determined to correspond to thefirst location, the processor 410 may provide part of the gathered firstlocation data. For example, the first location data with the firstdegree of accuracy may include a country name (e.g., Korea, China, theU.S.A., or Japan), a city or province name (e.g., Seoul), a districtname (e.g., Jongro-gu), a neighborhood name (e.g., Hyehwa-dong), astreet name (e.g., Daemyeong-geori), a building name (e.g.,Mihwa-building), and a house number (e.g., 315-beonji).

When the analyzed first location data is determined to correspond to thesecond location, the processor 410 may process at least part of thegathered first location data and provide second location data with asecond degree of accuracy that is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy. For example, the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy may include location data (e.g., at least one of acity/province name or a country name) of an area larger than thelocation of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may further gather various device data (e.g., time data, schedule data,context data, degree of use of application, etc.) as well as thelocation data of the electronic device 400 and may provide the firstlocation data with the first degree of accuracy or the second locationdata with the second degree of accuracy based on the gathered locationdata and device data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may determine whether the gathered time data corresponds to a first timeor a second time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first time maybe a time when the first location data may be provided, and the secondtime may be a time when the second location data may be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first time maybe a time when details of the user's location may be published (or thedetails are set to be published), and the second time may be a time whenthe details of the user's location are not desired to be published (orthe details are set not to be published).

For example, the first time may include a time set by the user to have apersonal schedule, a time when the user stays (or is positioned) athome, or a time when the user is determined to relax, and the secondtime may include a time set by the user to have a company schedule, atime when the user stays at work, or a time when the user is determinedto be on duty.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first time orthe second time is not limited to the above-described times. Dependingon the user's settings, the processor 410 may determine that the timewhen the user stays at home is the second time or that the time when theuser stays at work is the first time.

Upon determining that the gathered time data corresponds to the firsttime, the processor 410 may provide the first location data with thefirst degree of accuracy which is received from the location sensor 420.For example, where the user stays at work during a morning time andstays at home during an afternoon time, the processor 410 may determinethat the morning time when he/she stays at work corresponds to the firsttime and that the afternoon time when he/she stays at home correspondsto the second time. Where the analyzed time data is the morning time,the processor 410 may provide the first location data (e.g., thedetailed address of the company) corresponding to the morning time.

Upon determining that the gathered time data corresponds to the secondtime, the processor 410 may provide the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy. For example, where the gathered time data is the afternoontime, the processor 410 may generate and provide the second locationdata (e.g., the name of an area larger than the location of the home)with a lower degree of accuracy than the first location data (e.g., thedetailed address of the home).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may determine whether the gathered schedule data corresponds to a firstschedule or a second schedule.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first schedulemay be a schedule where the first location data may be provided, and thesecond schedule may be a schedule where the second location data may beprovided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first schedulemay be a schedule where details of the user's location may be published(or the details are set to be published), and the second schedule may bea schedule where the details of the user's location are not desired tobe published (or the details are set not to be published).

For example, the first schedule may include a schedule set by the userat home, a schedule related to a vacation, or a schedule with a familymember or friend, and the second schedule may include a schedule set bythe user at work, a schedule related to a meeting or business trip, or aschedule with work-related people.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first scheduleor the second schedule is not limited to the above-described schedules.Depending on the user's settings, the processor 410 may determine thatthe vacation-related schedule is the second schedule or the schedulerelated to the meeting or business trip is the first schedule.

Upon determining that the gathered schedule data corresponds to thefirst schedule, the processor 410 may provide the first location datareceived from the location sensor 420. For example, the processor 410may determine that a business-related schedule, e.g., meeting orbusiness trip, corresponds to the first schedule and that a personalschedule, e.g., vacation, corresponds to the second schedule. Where theanalyzed schedule data is determined to be a business-related schedule,the processor 410 may provide the first location data (e.g., thedetailed address for the place of the meeting or business trip)corresponding to the business-related schedule.

Where the gathered schedule data is determined to be a personalschedule, the processor 410 may generate and provide the second locationdata (e.g., the name of an area larger than the location of the home orplace of appointment) which is lower in degree of accuracy than thefirst location data (e.g., the detailed address of the location of thehome or place of appointment) corresponding to the personal schedule.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may provide the first location data or second location data depending onwhether there is schedule data. For example, when schedule data ispresent on a particular date, the processor 410 may provide the secondlocation data to an application that requests to provide location dataon the particular date, and when no schedule data is present on theparticular date, the processor 410 may provide the first location datato the application that requests to provide location data on theparticular date.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may determine whether the gathered context data corresponds to a firststatus or a second status. The status may be the user's current status,e.g., the user is currently having a meal, traveling, driving, workingout, or relaxing.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first statusmay be a status where the first location data may be provided, and thesecond status may be a status where the second location data may beprovided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first statusmay be a status where details of the user's location data may bepublished (or the details are set to be published), and the secondstatus may be a status where the details of the user's location data arenot desired to be published (or the details are set not to bepublished).

For example, the first status may include relaxing, traveling, walking,or eating, and the second status may include working, on a businesstrip, in a meeting, or driving.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first statusor the second status is not limited to the above-described statuses.Depending on the user's settings, the processor 410 may determine thatrelaxing is the second status or working is the first status.

Upon determining that the gathered context data corresponds to the firststatus, the processor 410 may provide the first location data with thefirst degree of accuracy which is received from the location sensor 420.For example, where the user is determined to be walking, the processor410 may determine that it corresponds to the first status, and where theuser is determined to be driving, the processor 410 may determine thatit corresponds to the second status.

Where the gathered context data is determined to be walking, theprocessor 410 may provide the first location data (e.g., the detailedaddress for the current location of the electronic device 400)corresponding to the walking. For example, where the location of theuser is “Sageori, Seocho-dong,” the processor 410 may control thelocation provision module 450 to provide the detailed address, e.g.,“Sageori, Seocho-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul,” as the first location data.

Upon determining that the gathered context data corresponds to thesecond status, the processor 410 may provide the second location datawith the second degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degreeof accuracy. For example, where the gathered context data is determinedto be the driving, the processor 410 may generate and provide the secondlocation data (e.g., the name of an area larger than the currentlocation of a vehicle) that is lower in degree of accuracy than thefirst location data (e.g., the detailed address of the current locationof the vehicle) corresponding to the driving. Where the location of thevehicle is “Sageo-ri, Nonhyeon-dong,” the processor 410 may provide“Nonhyeon-dong,” which is the name of the area larger than that of thedetailed address, as the second location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may analyze the gathered application use data to determine whether itcorresponds to an application of interest which the user frequently usesor an application of no interest which the user infrequently uses.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the application ofinterest may be a first application where the first location data may beprovided, and the application of no interest may be a second applicationwhere the second location data may be provided.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the application ofinterest may be an application that may publish (or be set to publish)details of the user's location, and the application of no interest maybe an application that is not desired to publish (or is set not topublish) the details of the user's location.

For example, the application of interest (e.g., the first application)may include an application providing a map service, an applicationproviding a navigation service, an application providing informationabout must-eat restaurants, and the application of no interest (e.g.,the second application) may include a flashlight application, anapplication providing a coupon service, and a game-related application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the application ofinterest or the application of no interest is not limited to theabove-enumerated applications. Depending on the user's settings, theprocessor 410 may determine that the application providing informationabout must-eat restaurants is the application of no interest or that theapplication providing a coupon service is the application of interest.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a plurality ofapplications providing similar services (e.g., applications providinginformation about must-eat restaurants) may also provide the firstlocation data or second location data depending on the user's settings.

Upon receiving a request for providing location data from the firstapplication which is determined to be the application of interest basedon the analyzed application use data, the processor 410 may provide thefirst location data with the first degree of accuracy which is receivedfrom the location sensor 420. For example, upon receipt of a request toprovide location data from an application providing data about must-eatrestaurants which is determined to be the application of interest, theprocessor 410 may provide the first location data (e.g., the detailedaddress of the current location of the electronic device 400).

Upon receipt of a request to provide location data from the secondapplication determined to be the application of no interest, theprocessor 410 may generate and provide the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy. For example, upon receipt of a request to provide locationdata from an application providing coupon data which is determined to bethe application of no interest, the processor 410 may generate andprovide the second location data (e.g., the name of an area larger thanthe current location of the electronic device 400) which is lower indegree of accuracy than the first location data (e.g., the detailedaddress of the current location of the electronic device 400).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may provide the first location data or second location data based onuser configuration data set by a user input. For example, based on auser input received through the user interface 430, the processor 410may make settings to provide the detailed address (e.g., the firstlocation data) for the location of the electronic device 400 to thefirst application and to provide the name (e.g., the second locationdata) of an area larger than the location of the electronic device 400to the second application. Or, based on a user input received throughthe user interface 430, the processor 410 may make settings to providethe name (e.g., Hyehwa-dong) of an area larger than the current locationwhen the location of the electronic device 400 is the user's home andthe detailed address for the current location when the location of theelectronic device 400 is the office.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may process the first location data using at least one of map coordinatedata, such as the latitude or longitude, address data, point-of-interest(POI) data, user intimacy data, and past location data to generate andprovide the second location data with the second degree of accuracywhich is lower than the first degree of accuracy.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based onthe map coordinate data. For example, the processor 410 may providecoordinates (e.g., (37.776, −122.423) obtained by deleting (orexcluding) the fourth and subsequent decimal places from thelatitude-longitude coordinates (e.g., (37.776259, −122.423112))corresponding to the current location of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based onthe address data. For example, the processor 410 may provide the address(e.g., San Francisco, Calif.) of an area larger than the currentlocation of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based onthe POI data. For example, the processor 410 may convert thelatitude-longitude coordinates (e.g., (37.776259, −122.423112)corresponding to the current location of the electronic device 400 intothe POI (e.g., a blue bootle bay area) of an area larger than thecurrent location of the electronic device 400 and provide the convertedPOI.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based onthe user intimacy data. The processor 410 may set a degree of intimacyfor a particular location according to the number of the user's visitsand provide the set degree of intimacy. For example, where the number ofthe user's visits to a first location is less than a preset firstthreshold, the processor 410 may set the degree of intimacy for thefirst location to a “low” and provide a set value, “low intimacy.” Wherethe number of the user's visits to a second location is not less than apreset second threshold, the processor 410 may set the degree ofintimacy for the second location to a “high” and provide a set value,“high intimacy.”

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may convert the degree of intimacy for the particular place into anumerical value and provide the numerical value of intimacy data (e.g.,Intimacy: 1).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based onthe past location data. The processor 410 may provide location dataabout a place where the electronic device 400 was located in the past,rather than the current location of the electronic device 400. Forexample, the processor 410 may collect a history for the user'slocations, store the history in the memory 440, detect the location ofthe electronic device 400 one hour before the current time from thestored location history, and provide the address for the detectedlocation or the name of an area larger than the detected location.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may generate and provide the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracy based on ageohash algorithm that splits a space in a grid pattern. The processor410 may convert the address or latitude-longitude coordinatescorresponding to an area larger than the current location of theelectronic device 400 into geohash coordinates using the geohashalgorithm and provide the converted geohash coordinates.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410,which may be a hardware module or software module (e.g., an applicationprogram), may be a hardware component (function) or software component(program) including at least one of various sensors, a data measuringmodule, an input/output interface, a module for managing the state orenvironment of the electronic device, or a communication module asincluded in the electronic device.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may be at least a portion of the processor and may include a combinationof one or more of, e.g., hardware, software, or firmware. According toan embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410 may lack atleast some of the components or may include other components forperforming an image processing operation in addition to the components.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, when implementedin hardware, the configuration of at least a portion of the processor410 may include some of at least one processor including a CPU/microprocessing unit (MPU), a memory (e.g., a register and/or RAM) where atleast one piece of memory loading data is loaded, and a bus forinputting/outputting at least one piece of data to the processor andmemory. When implemented in software, the processor 410 may include apredetermined program routine or program data that is loaded from apredetermined recording medium to a memory to perform a defined functionon the electronic device and is processed by the processor.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationsensor 420 may sense the user's location and transfer the location dataabout the sensed location to the processor 410, the memory 440, or thelocation provision module 450. For example, the location sensor 420 mayinclude at least one of a GPS module, a Wi-Fi module, a cellular module,an acceleration sensor, and a gyro sensor for sensing the user'slocation.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user interface430 may display an execution screen for an application that provides alocation-based service.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user interface430 may receive user inputs (e.g., touch inputs).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 440 maystore data that is used for adjusting the degree of accuracy for theuser's location data. For example, the memory 440 may include thelocation provision module 450 for gathering the user's location data,adjusting the degree of accuracy of the gathered location data, andproviding the accuracy-adjusted location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may be executed by the processor 410 to gather thefirst location data with the first degree of accuracy which is receivedfrom the location sensor 420. The location provision module 450 mayprocess at least part of the gathered first location data and generatesecond location data having a second degree of accuracy which is lowerthan the first degree of accuracy. The location provision module 450 mayprovide the first location data for executing the first application andthe second location data for executing the second application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may be implemented as a software-type platform orframework.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450, when executed by the processor 410, may gather thefirst location data regarding the location of the electronic device 400and determine whether to provide the first location data or the secondlocation data based on accuracy determination data. For example, thelocation provision module 450 may determine the location, time,schedule, status, and application where the user may, or does not desireto, publish based on the accuracy determination data including at leastone of location data, time data, schedule data, context data, andapplication use data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may determine whether to provide the first locationdata or the second location data based on user configuration data set bya user input. For example, where the current location of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to the first location where it has been set to bepublished, the location provision module 450 may provide the detailedaddress (e.g., the first location data) for the current location of theelectronic device 400. Where the current location of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to the second location where it has been set notto be published, the location provision module 450 may provide the name(e.g., the second location data) of an area larger than the currentlocation of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module may use at least one of map coordinate data, such asthe latitude or longitude, address data, POI data, use intimacy data,and past location data to generate the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may provide coordinates (e.g., (37.776, −122.423)obtained by deleting (or excluding) the fourth and subsequent decimalplaces from the latitude-longitude coordinates (e.g., (37.776259,−122.423112)) corresponding to the current location of the electronicdevice 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may store or provide the name (e.g., San Francisco,Calif.) of an area larger than the detailed address (e.g., 315 LindenStreet San Francisco, Calif. 94102) corresponding to the currentlocation of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may store or provide a value obtained by convertingthe latitude-longitude coordinates (e.g., (37.776259, −122.423112)corresponding to the current location of the electronic device 400 intothe POI (e.g., a blue bottle bay area) of an area larger than thecurrent location of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may store or provide a value (e.g., Intimacy: 1)obtained by determining the user's degree of intimacy for the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 and converting the determineddegree of intimacy into a numerical value.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may store or provide the detailed address for theplace where the electronic device 400 was located one hour ago or thename of an area larger than the place where the electronic device 400was located one hour ago.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may convert the address or latitude-longitudecoordinates corresponding to an area larger than the current location ofthe electronic device 400 into geohash coordinates using the geohashalgorithm and store or provide the converted geohash coordinates.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a configuration of a system according toan embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, a system 500 may include an electronic device and aserver.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 may include a processor 410, the location sensor 420, theuser interface 430, the memory 440, the location provision module 450,and a communication module 470, as described above in connection withFIG. 4. The components may basically perform similar operations to thoseof the components of FIG. 4.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 410may receive user configuration data set by a user input from a server510 to provide first location data with a first degree of accuracy or toprocess the first location data to generate second location data with asecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy. The processor 410 may transmit a request for accuracydetermination information to the server 510 and receive accuracydetermination information from the server 510 in response.

Upon receiving the user configuration data from the server 510, theprocessor 410 may provide the first location data with the first degreeof accuracy or process the first location data to generate and providethe second location data with the second degree of accuracy which islower than the first degree of accuracy using the user configurationdata through the location provision module 450.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communicationmodule 470 may communicate with the server 510. For example, thecommunication module 470 may include a USB module, a Wi-Fi module, a BTmodule, an NFC module, a GPS module, or a cellular communication module.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the server 510 mayinclude a processor 511, a memory 512, and a communication module 514.The memory 512 may include a location provision module 513.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 511may receive first location data for a plurality of electronic devicesfrom the plurality of electronic devices and store the first locationdata in the memory 512. For example, the first location data may be rawdata with a first degree of accuracy related to the location of theplurality of electronic devices.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 511may receive various device data (e.g., time data, schedule data, contextdata, or degree of use of application), as well as the location data,from the plurality of electronic devices and store the received data inthe memory 512.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 511may receive and store user configuration data set by a user input fromthe plurality of electronic devices. The processor 511 may produce astatistical value for the stored user configuration data and generateuser configuration data preferred by the users of the plurality ofelectronic devices based on the produced statistical value. Theprocessor 511 may transfer the preferred user configuration datagenerated to the electronic device 400.

For example, where a preset threshold number of users or more aredetermined, based on the produced statistical value, to provide thedetailed address for the current location of the electronic device 400during a morning time and provide the name of an area larger than thecurrent location of the electronic device 400 during an afternoon time,the processor 511 may transfer user configuration data to the electronicdevice 400 to make settings to provide the detailed address during themorning time and the name of the area during the afternoon time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor 511may transfer the first location data through the communication module514 to at least one electronic device. Alternatively, the processor 511may process the first location data through the location provisionmodule 513 to generate the second location data with the second degreeof accuracy, which is lower than the first degree of accuracy, andtransfer the generated second location data through the communicationmodule 514 to at least one electronic device. According to an embodimentof the present disclosure, the memory 512 may store data used to adjustthe degree of accuracy of location data. For example, the memory 512 maystore, e.g., the first location data for the plurality of electronicdevices, device data, and an accuracy determination standard.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 513 may be executed by the processor 511 to process atleast part of the first location data according to the accuracydetermination standard, generating the second location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the communicationmodule 514 may communicate with the electronic device 400. For example,the communication module 514 may include a USB module, a Wi-Fi module, aBT module, an NFC module, a GPS module, or a cellular communicationmodule.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are views illustrating configurations of memoriesaccording to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 6A, the memory 440 may include the location provisionmodule 450 and an application program 460.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationprovision module 450 may include a location data gathering module 451, adatabase 452, an accuracy converting module 453, and a data analyzingmodule 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the location datagathering module 451 may gather first location data for variouslocations of the electronic device 400 received from the location sensor420 and store the gathered first location data in the database 452.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the location datagathering module 451 may further gather device data, such as time data,schedule data, context data, or application use data, as well as thelocation data and store the gathered device data in the database 452.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the database 452may store the first location data of the electronic device 400 gatheredby the location data gathering module 451. For example, the firstlocation data may include raw data for the plurality of locations forthe electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the database 452may store the device data, such as time data, schedule data, contextdata, or application use data, gathered by the location data gatheringmodule 451, as well as the first location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of arequest signal from the data analyzing module 454, the accuracyconverting module 453 may generate second location data with a seconddegree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree of accuracyaccording to the accuracy determination standard. The accuracydetermination standard may include accuracy determination data or userconfiguration data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may generate the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy of the first location data based on the accuracy determinationdata (e.g., at least one of the first location data gathered by thelocation data gathering module 451, time data, schedule data, contextdata, and application use data).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may analyze the first location data of theelectronic device 400 to determine whether the current location of theelectronic device 400 corresponds to a first location where the firstlocation data may be provided or a second location where the secondlocation data may be provided. For example, where the first locationdata corresponds to the first location, the accuracy converting module453 may transfer the first location data to the data analyzing module454. Where the first location data corresponds to the second location,the accuracy converting module 453 may process the first location datato generate the second location data with the second degree of accuracy,and the accuracy converting module 453 may transfer the generated secondlocation data to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may analyze the gathered time data to determinewhether the current time of the electronic device 400 corresponds to afirst time when the first location data may be provided or a second timewhen the second location data may be provided. For example, where thetime data corresponds to the first time, the accuracy converting module453 may transfer the first location data to the data analyzing module454. Where the time data corresponds to the second time, the accuracyconverting module 453 may process the first location data to generatethe second location data with the second degree of accuracy, and theaccuracy converting module 453 may transfer the generated secondlocation data to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may analyze the gathered schedule data todetermine whether the current schedule of the electronic device 400corresponds to a first schedule when the first location data may beprovided or a second schedule when the second location data may beprovided. For example, where the schedule data corresponds to the firstschedule, the accuracy converting module 453 may transfer the firstlocation data to the data analyzing module 454. Where the schedule datacorresponds to the second schedule, the accuracy converting module 453may process the first location data to generate the second location datawith the second degree of accuracy, and the accuracy converting module453 may transfer the generated second location data to the dataanalyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may analyze the gathered context data to determinewhether the current status of the electronic device 400 corresponds to afirst status when the first location data may be provided or a secondstatus when the second location data may be provided. For example, wherethe context data corresponds to the first status, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer the first location data to the dataanalyzing module 454. Where the context data corresponds to the secondstatus, the accuracy converting module 453 may process the firstlocation data to generate the second location data with the seconddegree of accuracy, and the accuracy converting module 453 may transferthe generated second location data to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may analyze the gathered application use data todetermine whether at least one application running on the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to a first application 461 (e.g., an applicationof interest) able to provide the first location data or a secondapplication 462 (e.g., an application of no interest) able to providethe second location data. For example, where the application use datacorresponds to the first application 461, the accuracy converting module453 may transfer the first location data to the data analyzing module454. Where the application use data corresponds to the secondapplication 462, the accuracy converting module 453 may process thefirst location data to generate the second location data with the seconddegree of accuracy, and the accuracy converting module 453 may transferthe generated second location data to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may generate the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy of the first location data based on the user configuration data(e.g., location configuration data, time configuration data, scheduleconfiguration data, context configuration data, and applicationconfiguration data set by a user input).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationconfiguration data may include a first location set to provide the firstlocation data by a user input and a second location set to provide thesecond location data by a user input. For example, based on the locationconfiguration data, the accuracy converting module 453 may transfer thefirst location data to the data analyzing module 454 when the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the first location,and the accuracy converting module 453 may generate the second locationdata and provide the generated second location data to the dataanalyzing module 454 when the current location of the electronic device400 corresponds to the second location.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the timeconfiguration data may include data for a first time set to provide thefirst location data by a user input and data for a second time set toprovide the second location data by a user input. For example, based onthe time configuration data, the accuracy converting module 453 maytransfer the first location data to the data analyzing module 454 whenthe current time of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the firsttime, and the accuracy converting module 453 may generate the secondlocation data and provide the generated second location data to the dataanalyzing module 454 when the current time of the electronic device 400corresponds to the second time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the scheduleconfiguration data may include data for a first schedule set to providethe first location data by a user input and data for a second scheduleset to provide the second location data by a user input. For example,based on the schedule configuration data, the accuracy converting module453 may transfer the first location data to the data analyzing module454 when the current schedule of the electronic device 400 correspondsto the first schedule, and the accuracy converting module 453 maygenerate the second location data and provide the generated secondlocation data to the data analyzing module 454 when the current scheduleof the electronic device 400 corresponds to the second schedule.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the contextconfiguration data may include data for a first status set to providethe first location data by a user input and data for a second status setto provide the second location data by a user input. For example, basedon the context configuration data, the accuracy converting module 453may transfer the first location data to the data analyzing module 454when the current status of the electronic device 400 corresponds to thefirst status, and the accuracy converting module 453 may generate thesecond location data and provide the generated second location data tothe data analyzing module 454 when the current status of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to the second status.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the applicationconfiguration data may include data for a first application set toprovide the first location data by a user input and data for a secondapplication set to provide the second location data by a user input. Forexample, based on the application configuration data, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer the first location data to the dataanalyzing module 454 when the application currently running on theelectronic device 400 corresponds to the first application, and theaccuracy converting module 453 may generate the second location data andprovide the generated second location data to the data analyzing module454 when the application currently running on the electronic device 400corresponds to the second application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may use at least one of map coordinate data, suchas the latitude or longitude, address data, POI data, use intimacy data,and past location data to generate the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy which is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer coordinates (e.g., (37.776,−122.423), which are obtained by deleting the fourth and subsequentdecimal places from the latitude-longitude coordinates (e.g.,(37.776259, −122.423112)) corresponding to the current location of theelectronic device 400, to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer the name (e.g., San Francisco,Calif.) of an area larger than the detailed address (e.g., 315 LindenStreet San Francisco, Calif. 94102) corresponding to the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer a value obtained by converting thelatitude-longitude coordinates (e.g., (37.776259, −122.423112)corresponding to the current location of the electronic device 400 intothe POI (e.g., a blue bottle bay area) of an area larger than thecurrent location of the electronic device 400 to the data analyzingmodule 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer a value (e.g., Intimacy: 1) obtainedby determining the user's degree of intimacy for the current location ofthe electronic device 400 and converting the determined degree ofintimacy into a numerical value to the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may transfer the detailed address for the placewhere the electronic device 400 was located one hour ago to the dataanalyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454, upon receiving a first request signal for location data fromthe application program 460, may deliver a second request signal for thefirst location data or second location data to the accuracy convertingmodule 453.

In response to the second request signal, the data analyzing module 454may receive the first location data or second location data from theaccuracy converting module 453. The data analyzing module 454 maytransfer a response to the first request signal including the receivedfirst location data or second location data to a particular application.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving thefirst request signal from the first application 461, the data analyzingmodule 454 may transfer the second request signal to the accuracyconverting module 453. When receiving the second request signal, theaccuracy converting module 453 may generate a second response signalincluding the first location data or second location data based on theaccuracy determination standard and transfer the second response signalto the data analyzing module 454. For example, where the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the office, theaccuracy converting module 453 may transfer the second response signalincluding the first location data to the data analyzing module 454. Whenreceiving the second response signal, the data analyzing module 454 maygenerate a first response signal including the first location data andtransfer the first response signal to the first application 461.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receiving thefirst request signal from the second application 462, the data analyzingmodule 454 may transfer the second request signal to the accuracyconverting module 453. When receiving the second request signal, theaccuracy converting module 453 may generate a second response signalincluding the first location data or second location data based on theaccuracy determination standard and transfer the second response signalto the data analyzing module 454. For example, where the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the home, theaccuracy converting module 453 may generate the second location data andtransfer the second response signal including the generated secondlocation data to the data analyzing module 454. When receiving thesecond response signal, the data analyzing module 454 may generate afirst response signal including the second location data and transferthe first response signal to the second application 462.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of arequest signal for service information based on location data from theapplication program 460 (e.g., the first application 461 or the secondapplication 462), the data analyzing module 454 may transfer the requestsignal to the accuracy converting module 453 and receive the firstlocation data or second location data from the accuracy convertingmodule 453. The data analyzing module 454 may generate service databased on the received first location data or second location data andtransfer a response signal including the generated service data to theapplication program 460.

For example, upon receipt of a request signal for data about arecommended restaurant positioned around the current location of theelectronic device 400 from the application program 460, the dataanalyzing module 454 may send a request for location data correspondingto the current location of the electronic device 400 to the accuracyconverting module 453. When receiving a response including the firstlocation data (e.g., Nara building, Yeoksam1-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul)from the accuracy converting module 453, the data analyzing module 454searches for a recommended restaurant located around Nara building andtransfers a response signal including data (e.g., the name, contactinformation, menu, price, or homepage address of the restaurant) aboutthe recommended restaurant searched and the first location data to theapplication program 460. When receiving a response including the secondlocation data (e.g., Yeoksam station, Gangnam-gu, Seoul) from theaccuracy converting module 453, the data analyzing module 454 searchesfor a recommended restaurant located around Yeoksam station andtransfers a response signal including data about the recommendedrestaurant searched and the second location data to the applicationprogram 460.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the location provision module 450 may include thelocation data gathering module 451, the accuracy converting module 453,the database 452, and the data analyzing module 454.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the location datagathering module 451 may gather first location data for variouslocations of the electronic device 400 received from the location sensor420 and store the gathered first location data in the database 452, asdescribed above in connection with FIG. 6A.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the location datagathering module 451 may further gather device data, such as time data,schedule data, context data, or application use data, as well as thelocation data and store the gathered device data in the database 452.For example, the first location data may include raw data for theplurality of locations of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may store the first location data in the database452, or the accuracy converting module 453 may generate second locationdata with a second degree of accuracy which is lower than the firstdegree of accuracy of the first location data and store the secondlocation data in the database 452.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the accuracyconverting module 453 may generate location data with various degrees ofaccuracy and store the location data in the database 452. For example,the accuracy converting module 453 may generate third location data witha third degree of accuracy that is higher than the second degree ofaccuracy and less than the first degree of accuracy or generate fourthlocation data with a fourth degree of accuracy that is lower than thesecond degree of accuracy.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the database 452may store the first location data and the second location data.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the database 452may store location data with various degrees of accuracy, such as thethird location data with the third degree of accuracy or the fourthlocation data with the fourth degree of accuracy.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the database 452may store the device data, such as time data, schedule data, contextdata, or application use data, gathered by the location data gatheringmodule 451, as well as the first location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of arequest signal for location data from the application program 460, thedata analyzing module 454 may transfer the first location data or secondlocation data to the application program 460 based on accuracydetermination standard. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the data analyzing module 454 may transfer the firstlocation data or second location data to the application program 460based on accuracy determination data including various data of theelectronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether the current location of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to a first location or a second location, and thedata analyzing module 454 may transfer the first location data stored inthe database 452 to the application program 460 when the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the first location,and transfer the second location data stored in the database 452 to theapplication program 460 when the current location of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to the second location.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether the current time of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to a first time or a second time, and the dataanalyzing module 454 may transfer the first location data stored in thedatabase 452 to the application program 460 when the current time of theelectronic device 400 corresponds to the first time, and transfer thesecond location data stored in the database 452 to the applicationprogram 460 when the current time of the electronic device 400corresponds to the second time.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether the current schedule of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to a first schedule or a second schedule, and thedata analyzing module 454 may transfer the first location data stored inthe database 452 to the application program 460 when the currentschedule of the electronic device 400 corresponds to the first schedule,and transfer the second location data stored in the database 452 to theapplication program 460 when the current schedule of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to the second schedule.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether the current status of the electronicdevice 400 corresponds to a first status or a second status, and thedata analyzing module 454 may transfer the first location data stored inthe database 452 to the application program 460 when the current statusof the electronic device 400 corresponds to the first status, andtransfer the second location data stored in the database 452 to theapplication program 460 when the current status of the electronic device400 corresponds to the second status.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether at least one application running on theelectronic device 400 corresponds to an application of interest or anapplication of no interest, and the data analyzing module 454 maytransfer the first location data stored in the database 452 to theapplication program 460 when the current status of the electronic device400 corresponds to the application of interest, and transfer the secondlocation data stored in the database 452 to the application program 460when the current status of the electronic device 400 corresponds to theapplication of no interest.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the data analyzingmodule 454 may transfer the first location data or second location datato the application program 460 based on user configuration data set by auser input. For example, the data analyzing module 454 may use userconfiguration data set to provide the first location data or the secondlocation data depending on the location, time, schedule, status, orapplication, by a user input. For example, where the current location,current time, current schedule, current status, or the applicationcurrently running on the electronic device corresponds to a location,time, schedule, status, or application set to provide the secondlocation data, the data analyzing module 454 may transfer the secondlocation data with the second degree of accuracy to the applicationprogram 460.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of arequest signal for service information based on location data from theapplication program 460 (e.g., the first application 461 or the secondapplication 462), the data analyzing module 454 may generate servicedata based on any one of the first location data and the second locationdata stored in the database 452 and transfer a response signal includingthe generated service data to the application program 460.

For example, upon receipt of a request signal for data about arecommended restaurant located around the current location of theelectronic device 400 from the first application 461, the data analyzingmodule 454 may determine whether the first application 461 correspondsto an application of interest able to provide the first location data oran application of no interest able to provide the second location data.Where the first application 461 corresponds to the application of nointerest, the data analyzing module 454 may generate service data basedon the second location data stored in the database 452 and transfer thegenerated service data to the first application 461. For example, wherethe second location data is “Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul,” the dataanalyzing module 454 may search for data about a recommended restaurantlocated in Yeoksam-dong and transfer a response signal including dataabout the recommended restaurant searched to the first application 461.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 may comprise the user interface 430, the location sensor 420configured to sense a location of the electronic device 400, a processor410 electrically connected with the user interface 430 and the locationsensor 420, and the memory 440 electrically connected with the processor410 and storing a first application program and a second applicationprogram. The memory may store instructions that, when executed, enablethe processor 410 to receive first location data with a first degree ofaccuracy regarding the location of the electronic device 400 from thelocation sensor 420, process at least part of the first location data togenerate second location data with a second degree of accuracy lowerthan the first degree of accuracy regarding the location of theelectronic device 400, provide at least part of the first location datato execute the first application program, and provide at least part ofthe second location data to execute the second application program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationdata may include raw data from the location sensor 420.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationdata may include a full address for the location of the electronicdevice 400, and the second location data may include only areainformation covering the full address.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the memory 440 maystore a third application program. The instructions may enable theprocessor 410 to process at least part of at least one of the firstlocation data and the second location data to generate third locationdata with a third degree of accuracy regarding the location of theelectronic device 400, which is lower than the second degree ofaccuracy, and to provide at least part of the third location data toexecute the third application program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructionsmay enable the processor 410 to allow a user to select the firstlocation data for the first application program and the second locationdata for the second application program through the user interface 430.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the instructionsmay enable the processor 410 to determine a context based on at leastpart of a user input through the user interface 430 and to select thefirst location data to execute the first application program and thesecond location data to execute the second application program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationsensor 420 may include at least one of a GPS sensor, a BT circuit, aWi-Fi circuit, and a cellular communication circuit.

FIGS. 7A and 7B are flowcharts illustrating methods for providinglocation data in an electronic device according to various embodimentsof the present disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 700 to704 and operations 710 to 712 may be performed by any one of theelectronic device 101, the first and second external electronic devices102 and 104, the electronic device 201, the electronic device 400, theserver 106, the processor 120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, andthe location provision module 450.

Referring to FIG. 7A, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may sense the location of the electronic device 400, in operation700. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may sense the locationof the electronic device 400 through the location sensor 420.

In operation 701, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may obtain first location data with a first degree of accuracy regardingthe sensed location. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) maystore the first location data in the memory 440.

In operation 702, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process at least part of the first location data to generate secondlocation data with a second degree of accuracy that is lower than thefirst degree of accuracy. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) mayexecute the location provision module 450 to generate the secondlocation data with the second degree of accuracy which is lower than thefirst degree of accuracy of the first location data according to anaccuracy determination standard.

In operation 703, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide at least part of the first location data to a firstapplication. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410), upon determining thatthe first application is an application able to provide the firstlocation data, may provide at least part of the first location data tothe first application.

In operation 704, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide at least part of the second location data to a secondapplication. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410), upon determining thatthe second application is an application able to provide the secondlocation data, may provide at least part of the second location data tothe second application.

Referring to FIG. 7B, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may obtain first location data regarding the location of theelectronic device 400 through the location sensor 420, in operation 710.

In operation 711, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may obtain second location data corresponding to the first location dataaccording to a designated condition.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may generate the second locationdata with a second degree of accuracy that is lower than a first degreeof accuracy of the first location data according to a preset accuracydetermination standard. For example, the electronic device 400 (e.g.,the processor 410) may generate the second location data based onaccuracy determination data or user configuration data.

In operation 712, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide at least part of the second location data to a firstapplication that is executed on the electronic device 400. For example,when set to provide the second location data to the first application,the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may provide thefirst application with an address for an area including the location ofthe electronic device 400 or an address for a second area larger than afirst area corresponding to the location of the electronic device 400.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method foroperating the electronic device 400 may comprise receiving firstlocation data with a first degree of accuracy regarding a location ofthe electronic device 400 from the location sensor 420, processing atleast part of the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracyregarding the location of the electronic device, providing at least partof the first location data to execute a first application program, andproviding at least part of the second location data to execute a secondapplication program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationdata may include raw location data from the location sensor 420.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first locationdata may include a full address for the location of the electronicdevice 400, and the second location data may include only areainformation covering the full address.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method mayfurther comprise processing at least part of at least one of the firstlocation data and the second location data to generate third locationdata with a third degree of accuracy regarding the location of theelectronic device 400, which is lower than the second degree of accuracyand providing at least part of the third location data to execute thethird application program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method mayfurther comprise allowing a user to select the first location data forthe first application program and the second location data for thesecond application program through the user interface 430.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the method mayfurther comprise determining a context based on at least part of a userinput through the user interface 430, selecting the first location datato execute the first application program, and selecting the secondlocation data to execute the second application program.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the locationsensor 420 may include at least one of a GPS sensor, a BT circuit, aWi-Fi circuit, and a cellular communication circuit.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing location datain an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 800 to805 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 8, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may gather and store first location data with a first degree ofaccuracy, in operation 800. According to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) maygather the first location data regarding the location of the electronicdevice 400 which is sensed through the location sensor 420 and store thegathered first location data in the memory 440.

In operation 801, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may receive a request to provide location data from an application.

In operation 802, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether to change the degree of accuracy for the storedfirst location data according to an accuracy determination standard, andthe electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may performoperation 803 when changing the degree of accuracy for the firstlocation data or operation 805 when not changing the degree of accuracyfor the first location data.

In operation 803, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy.

In operation 804, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide the second location data to the application in response to arequest.

In operation 805, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide the first location data to the application in response to arequest.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method for providing location datain an electronic device according to an embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 900 to906 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 9, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may gather first location data with a first degree of accuracy, inoperation 900. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may gather the firstlocation data regarding the location of the electronic device 400 whichis sensed through the location sensor 420.

In operation 901, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data according to an accuracydetermination standard, generating second location data with a seconddegree of accuracy.

In operation 902, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data and the second location data.According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may store the gathered firstlocation data and the generated second location data in the memory 440.

In operation 903, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may receive a request to provide location data from an application.

In operation 904, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether to provide the first location data or the secondlocation data, and the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may perform operation 905 upon determining to provide the first locationdata or operation 906 upon determining to provide the second locationdata.

In operation 905, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide the first location data to the application in response to arequest.

In operation 906, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may provide the second location data to the application in response to arequest.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 1000 to1004 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 10, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may gather first location data with a first degree of accuracy, inoperation 1000.

In operation 1001, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether the gathered first location data corresponds to afirst location or a second location, and the electronic device 400(e.g., the processor 410) may perform operation 1002 when the firstlocation data is determined to correspond to the first location andoperation 1003 when the first location data is determined to correspondto the second location. For example, the first location may be alocation where detailed information about the location of the electronicdevice 400 may be published, and the second location may be a locationwhere the detailed information about the location of the electronicdevice 400 may not be published. The second location may be a locationwhere location data for an area larger than the location of theelectronic device 400 may be published.

In operation 1002, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data corresponding to the first location.For example, the first location data may include the detailed address(e.g., an address including the city, district, neighborhood, housenumber, or building name) regarding the location of the electronicdevice 400.

In operation 1003, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy. For example, the second location datamay include the address (e.g., an address including only the city anddistrict name) of an area covering the detailed address regarding thelocation of the electronic device 400.

In operation 1004, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the second location data corresponding to the second location.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 1100 to1104 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 11, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may gather time data and first location data with a first degree ofaccuracy, in operation 1100.

In operation 1101, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether the gathered time data corresponds to a first timeor a second time, and the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may perform operation 1102 when the time data is determined tocorrespond to the first time and operation 1103 when the time data isdetermined to correspond to the second time. For example, the first timemay be a time when detailed information about the location of theelectronic device 400 may be published, and the second time may be atime when the detailed information about the location of the electronicdevice 400 may not be published. The second time may be a time whenlocation data for an area larger than the location of the electronicdevice 400 may be published.

In operation 1102, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data corresponding to the first time.

In operation 1103, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy.

In operation 1104, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the second location data corresponding to the second time.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 1200 to1204 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 12, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may gather schedule information and first location data with afirst degree of accuracy, in operation 1200.

In operation 1201, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether the gathered schedule information corresponds to afirst schedule or a second schedule, and the electronic device 400(e.g., the processor 410) may perform operation 1202 when the scheduleinformation is determined to correspond to the first schedule andoperation 1203 when the schedule information is determined to correspondto the second schedule. For example, the first schedule may be aschedule where detailed information about the location of the electronicdevice 400 may be published, and the second schedule may be a schedulewhen the detailed information about the location of the electronicdevice 400 may not be published. The second schedule may be a schedulewhere location data for an area larger than the location of theelectronic device 400 may be published.

In operation 1202, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data corresponding to the first schedule.

In operation 1203, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy.

In operation 1204, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the second location data corresponding to the second schedule.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 1300 to1304 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 13, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may gather context information and first location data with a firstdegree of accuracy, in operation 1300.

In operation 1301, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether the gathered context information corresponds to afirst status or a second status, and the electronic device 400 (e.g.,the processor 410) may perform operation 1302 when the contextinformation is determined to correspond to the first status andoperation 1303 when the context information is determined to correspondto the second status. For example, the first status may be a statuswhere detailed information about the location of the electronic device400 may be published, and the second status may be a status when thedetailed information about the location of the electronic device 400 maynot be published. The second status may be a status where location datafor an area larger than the location of the electronic device 400 may bepublished.

In operation 1302, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data corresponding to the first status.

In operation 1303, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy.

In operation 1304, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the second location data corresponding to the second status.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for generating secondlocation data in an electronic device according to an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, operations 1400 to1404 may be performed by any one of the electronic device 101, the firstand second external electronic devices 102 and 104, the electronicdevice 201, the electronic device 400, the server 106, the processor120, 210, or 410, the program module 310, and the location provisionmodule 450.

Referring to FIG. 14, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may gather application use data and first location data with afirst degree of accuracy, in operation 1400.

In operation 1401, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may determine whether the gathered application use data corresponds to afirst application or a second application, and the electronic device 400(e.g., the processor 410) may perform operation 1402 when theapplication use data is determined to correspond to the firstapplication and operation 1403 when the application use data isdetermined to correspond to the second application. For example, thefirst application may be an application that may publish detailedinformation about the location of the electronic device 400, and thesecond application may be an application that may not publish thedetailed information about the location of the electronic device 400.The second application may be an application that may publish locationdata for an area larger than the location of the electronic device 400.

In operation 1402, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the first location data corresponding to the firstapplication.

In operation 1403, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may process the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy.

In operation 1404, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may store the second location data corresponding to the secondapplication.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method foroperating the electronic device 400 may comprise receiving firstlocation data with a first degree of accuracy regarding a location ofthe electronic device 400 from the location sensor 420, processing atleast part of the first location data to generate second location datawith a second degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracyregarding the location of the electronic device, providing at least partof the first location data to execute a first application program, andproviding at least part of the second location data to execute a secondapplication program.

FIGS. 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D, 15E, and 15F are views illustrating examplesof user interfaces for setting accuracy determination data in anelectronic device according to various embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 15A, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may display, on the user interface 430, a setting screen foradjusting the degree of accuracy of location data provided to at leastone application (e.g., a map application).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting screenmay include a menu section 1500 to make settings to provide firstlocation data or second location data. The menu section 1500 may includea button 1501 for a first setting (e.g., active) for adjusting thedegree of accuracy of the first location data according to a user inputor a second setting (e.g., inactive) for providing the first locationdata without adjusting the degree of accuracy of the location data. Forexample, where the button 1501 is a slide button, the electronic device400 (e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting to provide the firstlocation data upon receipt of an input to move the slide button to theleft, adjust the degree of accuracy of the first location data andprovide the accuracy-adjusted first location data upon receipt of aninput to move the slide button to the right.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may move the button 1501 to theleft or right according to a user input (e.g., a touch input) throughthe user interface 430, making a setting to provide the first locationdata or second location data. For example, the electronic device 400(e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting to provide the firstlocation data to a map application upon sensing a touch to move thebutton 1501 to the left through the user interface 430. The electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting to provide thesecond location data to the map application upon sensing a touch to movethe button 1501 to the right through the user interface 430.

Referring to FIG. 15B, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may display, on the user interface 430, a setting screen foradjusting the degree of accuracy of location data provided to at leastone application (e.g., a map application).

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the setting screenmay include a first menu section 1510 for making a setting to providefirst location data or second location data, a second menu section 1520for adjusting the degree of accuracy of the second location data, and athird menu section 1530 for setting a time to provide the secondlocation data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first menusection 1510 may include a button 1511 for activating a function formaking a setting to provide the first location data or second locationdata according to a user input.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may move the button 1511 to theleft or right according to a user input (e.g., a touch input), making asetting to provide the first location data or to adjust the degree ofaccuracy of the first location data and provide the accuracy-adjustedfirst location data. For example, the electronic device 400 (e.g., theprocessor 410) may make a setting to provide the first location dataupon sensing a touch input to move the button 1511 to the left throughthe user interface 430. The electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may make a setting to adjust and provide the first location dataupon sensing a touch input to move the button 1511 to the right throughthe user interface 430.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of atouch input to move the button 1511 of the first menu section 1510 tothe left, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) maydeactivate the second menu section 1520 and the third menu section 1530except for the first menu section 1510. For example, the deactivationmay refer to a state of receiving no user input (e.g., a state ofsensing no touch) while displaying the second menu section 1520 and thethird menu section 1530 in a particular color. Upon receipt of a touchinput to move the button 1511 to the right through the user interface430, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may activateand display the second menu section 1520 and the third menu section1530.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second menusection 1520 may include a status bar 1521 for setting the degree (orscale) of accuracy of the first location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may adjust the degree of accuracyof the first location data by moving the status bar 1521 to the left orright according to a user input (e.g., a touch input). The electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may adjust a first degree ofaccuracy (e.g., a detailed address) of the first location data into asecond degree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracy (orinto a third degree of accuracy lower than the second degree ofaccuracy) or may adjust the third degree of accuracy into the seconddegree of accuracy or the first degree of accuracy. For example, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may adjust the degree ofaccuracy of the first location data in neighborhood units or districtunits.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the third menusection 1530 may include a button 1531 for activating a function forsetting a time to provide the second location data and a time inputsection 1532 for inputting a start time and an end time to provide thesecond location data.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting to provide thesecond location data for a period of time, as entered, upon receipt of auser input (e.g., a touch input or an input to the touch pad), such asentry or selection of numbers for inputting a start time and an end timethrough the user interface 430. For example, the electronic device 400(e.g., the processor 410) may provide the second location data from 6 pmof the day to 8 am of the next day according to a user input for setting6 pm to the start time and 8 am to the end time.

Referring to FIGS. 15C, 15D, and 15E, when the indicator is positionedin the right side of the status bar 1521 as shown in FIG. 15C, theelectronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting toprovide location data with a first degree of accuracy that includes adetailed address, such as “Mihwa Building, 110-2, Myeongryun-4ga,Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea.” The electronic device 400 (e.g., theprocessor 410) may further display an example screen 1540 of thedegree-of-accuracy-adjusted location data under the status bar 1521. Forexample, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may furtherdisplay a map screen corresponding to the detailed address, “MihwaBuilding, 110-2, Myeongryun4-ga, Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea.”

When the indicator is positioned in the middle of the status bar 1521 asshown in FIG. 15D, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410)may make a setting to provide second location data with a second degreeof accuracy that includes a simplified address, such as “Myeongryun-4ga,Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea,” which corresponds to a larger areaincluding the location indicated by the detailed address and includesthe neighborhood name. For example, the electronic device 400 (e.g., theprocessor 410) may further display a map screen corresponding to thesimplified address “Myeongryun4-ga, Jongro-gu, Seoul, South Korea.”

When the indicator is positioned in the left side of the status bar 1521as shown in FIG. 15E, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may make a setting to provide third location data with a thirddegree of accuracy that includes a further simplified address, such as“Seoul, South Korea,” which includes the city or county name. Forexample, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may furtherdisplay a map screen corresponding to the further simplified address“Seoul, South Korea.”

Referring to FIG. 15F, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor410) may display a list of at least one application and buttons 1550 foractivating a function for providing the first location data or secondlocation data corresponding to each application. For example, uponreceipt of a user input for moving right each of the buttonscorresponding to a flashlight, gallery, file, and dictionaryapplication, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) maymake a setting to provide the second location data to the flashlight,gallery, file, and dictionary applications. For example, upon receipt ofa user input for moving left each of the buttons corresponding to acalculator, weather, map, and social media application, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may make a setting to provide thefirst location data to the calculator, weather, map, and social mediaapplications. Thus, location data with different degrees of accuracy maybe provided to multiple applications in an easier and more convenientway, thus preventing privacy intrusion or personal information leakage.

FIGS. 16A and 16B are views illustrating examples of user interfaces forproviding a location-based service based on first location data and alocation-based service based on second location data according tovarious embodiments of the present disclosure.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, upon receipt of arequest to provide location data from a map application, the electronicdevice 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may determine whether to providefirst location data or second location data to the map applicationaccording to an accuracy determination standard.

Referring to FIG. 16A, upon determining to provide the first locationdata, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may display afirst indicator 1600 that indicates the location of the user on the mapbased on the detailed address of the current location of the electronicdevice 400, as shown in FIG. 16A. For example, the first location datamay be “intersection in front of Grace Cathedral, California St.,California, U.S.A.”

Referring to FIG. 16B, upon determining to provide the second locationdata, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may display asecond indicator 1610 that indicates the user's location on the mapbased on location data for a particular area larger than the currentlocation of the electronic device 400 as shown in FIG. 16B. For example,the second location data may be “California St., California, U.S.A” or“near Grace Cathedral, California, U.S.A.”

FIGS. 17A, 17B, and 17C are views illustrating an example of providing alocation-based service in an electronic device according to anembodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 17A, 17B and 17C, the electronic device 400 (e.g.,the processor 410) may receive a user input for requestinglocation-based service information through the user interface 430.

Upon receipt of a user input to run a first program that provides alocation-based service based on voice recognition through the userinterface 430, the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) mayrun the first program and display an execution screen for the firstprogram as shown in FIG. 17A.

Upon receipt of a voice input, e.g., “Any nearby must-eat restaurant?”the electronic device 400 (e.g., the processor 410) may provide serviceinformation using first location data with a first degree of accuracyregarding the location of the electronic device 400 which is gatheredthrough the location sensor 420 based on an accuracy determinationstandard or service information using second location data with a seconddegree of accuracy lower than the first degree of accuracy of the firstlocation data.

For example, when the user's current location corresponds to a secondlocation set to provide the second location data, the electronic device400 (e.g., the processor 410) may search for pasta restaurants locatedaround Gangnam station based on the station name (e.g., Gangnam station)corresponding to the user's current location (e.g., Yeoksam1-dong,Gangnam-gu, Seoul) and display information about a searched pastarestaurant (e.g., its name, pictures, location, contact information,rating, reviews, or menu) as shown in FIG. 17B.

When the user's current location corresponds to a first location set toprovide the first location data, the electronic device 400 (e.g., theprocessor 410) may search for pasta restaurants located aroundYeoksam1-dong based on the detailed address (e.g., Yeoksam1-dong,Gangnam-gu, Seoul) corresponding to the user's current location anddisplay information about a searched pasta restaurant as shown in FIG.17C.

According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the user mayreceive LBSs in a convenient manner, free from invasion of privacy orinformation leakage due to the provision of the user's locationinformation.

As used herein, the term “module” includes a unit configured inhardware, software, or firmware and may interchangeably be used withother terms, e.g., “logic,” “logic block,” “part,” or “circuit.” Themodule may be a single integral part or a minimum unit or part ofperforming one or more functions. The module may be implementedmechanically or electronically and may include, e.g., anapplication-specific IC (ASIC) chip, field-programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), or programmable logic device, that has been known or to bedeveloped in the future as performing some operations. According to anembodiment of the present disclosure, at least a part of the device(e.g., modules or their functions) or method (e.g., operations) may beimplemented as instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium (e.g., the memory 130), e.g., in the form of a programmodule. The instructions, when executed by a processor (e.g., theprocessor 120), may enable the processor to carry out a correspondingfunction. The computer-readable medium may include, e.g., a hard disk, afloppy disc, a magnetic medium (e.g., magnetic tape), an opticalrecording medium (e.g., compact disc-read only memory (CD-ROM), DVD,magnetic-optical medium (e.g., floptical disk), or an embedded memory.The instruction may include a code created by a compiler or a codeexecutable by an interpreter. Modules or programming modules inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure mayinclude at least one or more of the aforementioned components, omit someof them, or further include other additional components. Operationsperformed by modules, programming modules or other components inaccordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure may becarried out sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or heuristically, orat least some operations may be executed in a different order or omittedor other operations may be added.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, according to theembodiments of the present disclosure, the user may receive LBSs in aconvenient manner, free from invasion of privacy or information leakagedue to the provision of the user's location information.

While the present disclosure has been shown and described with referenceto various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilledin the art that various changes in form and details may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a touchscreendisplay; at least one processor; and a memory storing instructionswhich, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronicdevice to: display, on the touchscreen display, a setting screen forsetting a degree of accuracy of location data provided to a mapapplication, wherein one of first location data of the electronic devicewith a first degree of accuracy or second location data of theelectronic device with a second degree of accuracy lower than the firstdegree of accuracy is provided to the map application based on thedegree of accuracy of location data set on the setting screen, thesetting screen corresponding to the map application, receive, on thesetting screen, a first user input to set the degree of accuracy oflocation data to the first degree of accuracy or a second user input toset the degree of accuracy of location data to the second degree ofaccuracy, and display, on the touchscreen display, an execution screenof the map application, wherein, based on the degree of accuracy oflocation data being set to be the first degree of accuracy according tothe first user input received on the setting screen, the executionscreen of the map application includes a first indicator indicating afirst geographic area corresponding to the first location data with thefirst degree of accuracy, a full address corresponding to the firstgeographic area, and first latitude-longitude coordinates correspondingto the full address identified by the at least one processor, wherein,based on the degree of accuracy of the location data being set to be thesecond degree of accuracy according to the second user input received onthe setting screen, the execution screen of the map application includesa second indicator indicating a second geographic area corresponding tothe second location data with the second degree of accuracy, asimplified address corresponding to the second geographic area, andsecond latitude-longitude coordinates corresponding to the simplifiedaddress generated by the at least one processor, and wherein the secondgeographic area corresponding to the second location data with thesecond degree of accuracy is larger than the first geographic areacorresponding to the first location data with the first degree ofaccuracy.
 2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a shape of atleast one of the first indicator or the second indicator comprises acircle.
 3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the firstlatitude-longitude coordinates have more decimal places than the secondlatitude-longitude coordinates.
 4. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the first latitude-longitude coordinates have six decimalplaces.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the secondlatitude-longitude coordinates is generated using the firstlatitude-longitude coordinates.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1,wherein the setting screen includes a slide button arranged to receivethe first user input or the second user input.
 7. The electronic deviceof claim 1, wherein the instructions, which when executed by the atleast one processor, cause the electronic device to: display, on thetouchscreen display, another setting screen for activating anotherfunction for providing a lower degree of accuracy of location dataprovided to another application, wherein one of the first location dataor the second location data is provided to the other application basedon the other function being activated or deactivated on the othersetting screen.
 8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the settingscreen is included in a user interface of the electronic device, andwherein, for each application of at least one application, the userinterface includes a button to activate or deactivate a function forproviding the first location data to a first application or the secondlocation data to a second application.
 9. An electronic device,comprising: a touchscreen display; at least one processor; and a memorystoring instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor,cause the electronic device to: display an application list for settinga function for providing a lower or higher degree of accuracy oflocation data provided to each application included in the applicationlist, receive, on a first button corresponding to a first application ofthe application list, a first user input for activating a function forproviding a lower degree of accuracy of location data provided to thefirst application, receive, on a second button corresponding to a secondapplication of the application list, a second user input fordeactivating the function for providing the lower degree of accuracy oflocation data provided to the second application, in response toexecuting the first application, provide, via the first application, afirst function based on a higher degree of accuracy of location data,wherein the first function includes displaying a full addresscorresponding to the higher degree of accuracy of the location data, andfirst latitude-longitude coordinates corresponding to the full addressidentified by the at least one processor, and in response to executingthe second application, provide, via the second application, a secondfunction based on the lower degree of accuracy of location data, whereinthe second function includes displaying a simplified addresscorresponding to the lower degree of accuracy of the location data, andsecond latitude-longitude coordinates corresponding to the simplifiedaddress generated by the at least one processor.
 10. The electronicdevice of claim 9, wherein the application list comprises at least oneof a map application, a weather application, or a voice assistanceapplication.
 11. An electronic device, comprising: a touchscreendisplay; at least one microphone; at least one processor; and a memorystoring instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor,cause the electronic device to: receive an input on a setting screen,wherein the input is for setting a degree of accuracy of location dataprovided to an application, wherein one of first location data of theelectronic device with a first degree of accuracy or second locationdata of the electronic device with a second degree of accuracy lowerthan the first degree of accuracy is provided to the application basedon the degree of accuracy of location data set on the setting screen,the setting screen corresponding to the application, obtain at least onevoice command based on a voice signal obtained by the at least onemicrophone, based on the input for providing the first location data ofthe electronic device with the first degree of accuracy, provide, viathe application, first service information using the first degree ofaccuracy of the first location data according to the voice command, thefirst service information comprising a full address corresponding to thefirst location data, and first latitude-longitude coordinatescorresponding to the full address identified by the at least oneprocessor, and provide second service information using the seconddegree of accuracy of the second location data according to the voicecommand, the second service information comprising a simplified addresscorresponding to the second location data, and second latitude-longitudecoordinates corresponding to the simplified address generated by the atleast one processor, the first latitude-longitude coordinates comprisingmore decimal places than the second latitude-longitude coordinates,wherein the second degree of accuracy of the second location data withrespect to the electronic device is lower than the first degree ofaccuracy of the first location data with respect to the electronicdevice.
 12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instructions,when executed by the processor, further cause the electronic device toprovide an indicator indicating a current location of the electronicdevice via the second service information.
 13. The electronic device ofclaim 11, wherein the first latitude-longitude coordinates comprise sixdecimal places.
 14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the firstservice information and the second service information are providedwhile a voice assistance application is being executed.
 15. Theelectronic device of claim 14, wherein the first service information andthe second service information are provided via the applicationdifferent from the voice assistance application.